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Soldiers tell their own story in 'The War Tapes'

Another dispatch from the front, "The War Tapes" takes an unusual — and often inspired — approach to the quagmire in Iraq. Offered the chance to embed herself with the New Hampshire National Guard during its year Over There, filmmaker Deborah Scranton had a better idea. She gave her cameras to three Guardsmen and asked them to film their experiences. The result is a hand-held — or sometimes helmet's-eye, front-seat-of-a-Humvee — view of the war.

SenArt Films 'The War Tapes' B The verdict: Tough to watch at times, but this soldier's view of the Iraq war should be seen by anyone concerned about the conflict. Director: Deborah Scranton Starring: Stephen Pink, Michael Moriarty, Zack Bazzi, Lindsay Coletti, Randi Moriarty Run time: 97 minutes Release date: April 29, 2006 Rating: Not rated. On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Spc. Mike Moriarity is a 35-year-old mechanic, a family man who describes himself as "substantially patriotic." A die-hard Bush supporter hit hard by Sept. 11, he told his National Guard recruiters, "You shoot me into a unit only if they go to Iraq."

Sgt. Steve Pink is significantly less gung-ho. A struggling writer at 24, he's in Iraq to help pay for college. Bringing a gallows humor to his "home movies," he wryly notes, "Today was the first time I shook a man's hand that wasn't attached to his arm."

Lebanon-born Sgt. Zack Bazzi, also 24, is the true warrior of the three, having already served in Bosnia and Kosovo. He loves the military but can't understand why it makes so little effort to understand the culture of the country it's supposed to be saving. He points out, for instance, the palm-out American hand signal for "halt" means "hello" in Iraq.

Don't mistake "The War Tapes" for cinéma vérité. Scranton edited down about a thousand hours of tape to a tight 97-minute film. True, some politics seep in; her take has an obvious liberal slant. But the picture is mostly apolitical — more "The Red Badge of Courage" than "Three Kings."

Or perhaps "Catch 22." Things happen in "The War Tapes" that even Joseph Heller couldn't make up. Several soldiers discuss whether a severed limb looks more like ground hamburger or a pot roast. Someone else makes the bad joke: "I don't smell burning bad guy."

There are a few minor problems. It can be hard to figure out whose footage we're seeing. And the scenes back home after their year is up lack the resonance of what's gone before. Still, you can't help noticing Moriarity's spouse drives a gas-guzzling SUV with a yellow ribbon proudly slapped on the back. Some sort of disconnect going on there.

But that's nothing compared with the disconnect the men feel. Just as every veteran from Troy to Vietnam has discovered, when the shooting stops, what was once familiar isn't so much anymore. Whether it's a wife or a friend or a job.

"The War Tapes" is a remarkable film, a you-are-there document that allows us to worry about the soldier who's risking his life even as we ponder the rights and wrongs of this military engagement. Even Moriarity admits that while he's proud to have been there, he wouldn't go back, not even for a cool $500,000.

On the other hand, Bazzi re-ups — though, noting President Bush's re-election, he says, "I guess Operation Iranian Freedom will be next."

Pretty prescient given that the movie was shot in 2004.